Betrothed in Fury by Devon McCormack

 

LOGAN

Charming. Sexy as sin. Out of his damn mind.

That sums up Killian Lorde, one of the most powerful crime bosses in Fury’s underworld.

Since his father passed, he’s stepped into his role as head of the family business.

A role which I, the golden boy of the Wilde clan, more than understand. Forced by birth into a life of corruption and moral bankruptcy, I exist for one to protect my family at all costs.

Only this time, the price is my freedom.

Unbeknownst to me, to maintain my family’s alliance with the Lordes, I’ve been betrothed to Killian.

I’ve always known him to be a bastard, but this arrangement brings out the worst in him.

He’s a monster. Pure, unfettered evil.

He doesn’t just want to marry me. He wants to control and possess me, and when his curiosity becomes obsession, we struggle for power as he demands the one thing I can’t give him.

My complete and total surrender.

Dark MM Romance, grumpy/psycho-sunshine, mob-bosses-to-lovers, morally gray men, frighteningly possessive MC, “Oh, what did that contract say?” arranged marriage, bi-awakening, touch-him-and-die (like, tied up in a sack, thrown into a lake, and left for dead), anything-for-the-family vibes, torture-as-foreplay (just mob bosses doing what they love), “Did I say you could have mashed potatoes?” (iykyk)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250236531-betrothed-in-fury

********

My Review: 4/5 Stars

When Logan’s father was on his deathbed, he made Logan make him a promise and sign a contract. And though he insisted on explaining to Logan and reading what he signed, Logan refused simply because he wasn’t ready to admit his father was about to leave him. Logan knew that he was about to inherit the responsibility of protecting their family and taking his place as one of the crime bosses. Ten years later, he finally finds out what that promise entails. Killian has been patient and has made his own promise to his father to honor their alliance with Logan’s family and protect them. And he’s ready to collect. Because that contract? It was for Killian and Logan to get married. Shocked at first, Logan is ready to fight but he knows deep down he’ll have no choice. He needs Killian’s protection. But that doesn’t mean he will easily submit to Killian’s orders. Well, mostly. Because the more these two interact with one another, the more this darker attraction between them sparks. They’re obsessive, possessive, and have a lot more in common than they realize. I really enjoyed Logan and Killian’s story. This was a darker mm mafia romance and I was all for it. The chemistry between Killian and Logan was great and I loved seeing their relationship really develop as the story went on. It became so much more than either had ever imagined. I’m really hoping we get more stories in this world! 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Magic and Romance Book 2: The Fake Divination Offense by Sara Raasch

 

Magic and Romance Book 2

Orok Half-giant. Rawball defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds. Follower of Urzoth...only Orok’s tired of following the god of aggression.

Alexo Cheerleader. Human? A dancer with a stadium’s worth of secrets.

When Orok saves Alexo at a bar, fans go feral for the star athlete protecting the pint-size dude-in-distress. The Hellhounds propose that Orok and Alexo start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Orok’s god. Orok is set to refuse and renounce Urzoth—but that wouldn’t let him see Alexo again.

So, like a sap, he agrees.

As Orok tries to drop the fake part of their fake-relationship, Alexo’s dangerous truths emerge. To save him, Orok will have to sacrifice far more than his divine association.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019548-the-fake-divination-offense

********

My Review: 5/5 Stars

Orok finally returns home to Philly to play roarball for the Hellhounds. He is more than glad to be back in this town his with his best friend and for the law suit that has been years in the making to be finally over. Even more, he is just tired of being a follower of Urzoth and is ready to leave him and his past behind. He wants that clean slate. But fate has different plans. When he first sees Alexo, Orok knows he is in trouble. There is a connection between them and Orok wants to find out more. What he doesn’t like is when someone tries to hurt Alexo. In standing up for him though, turns out that catches a lot of attention. The Hellhounds and church of Urzoth propose a plan to better their PR if Alexo and Orok agree to a fake relationship. And somehow they find themselves saying yes. But Orok wants real, Alexo has secrets, and there is danger in the shadows ready to hurt them both. Loved being back in this world! This was such a fun magical world and I’m glad we got to read Orok’s story. The guy has been through enough and deserves some happiness. And Alexo is really the perfect guy for him. It was fun watching these two fall for one another. Just a fun story all around! 

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Years Book 0.5: Finding Home by Lizzie C. Koz

 

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Book 0.5

Finding Home is a spicy best-friends-to-lovers MM baseball romance with an unrequited love that refuses to fade, a painful separation, a kiss that changes everything, and selfies that say what words can’t.

The world keeps the ugly truth about love to itself: Not everyone falls in love with someone who will love them back.

EASTON

My dream is finally coming true. Why? Because your boy just got drafted to play pro baseball. Yee-haw! (Ohmygod, did I just say yee-haw?)

There’s one glaring thing missing though. Maddox. My ride-or-die. It was always supposed to be us—major league ballplayers, side by side. 

But now I’m the one who made it, and I have to leave him behind. 

I don’t know how I’ll handle the distance when I haven’t spent a day apart from Maddy since we were six. 

I keep reminding myself it’ll be okay. We’ll talk every day. Text, call, video chat. It’ll be like he’s right there with me.

Yeah, this is fine. Totally fine.

But then why do I feel like I’m leaving an essential part of myself back in Connecticut?

MADDOX

I did the one thing literally everyone tells you not to do.

I fell in love with my straight best friend.

Yep. That’s me—the cliché gay boy who lost his heart to a boy who can’t love him back. I know it’s stupid. I know I should move on. But me and East? We’re inseparable. From T-ball at six to D1 college ball, we’ve done everything together…and that’s exactly the problem.

I can’t get over him like this. I need space. And I think this is my chance. He’s leaving for his minor league assignment for a couple months.

I’ll use the time to cleanse myself of Easton Winters, and when he comes back, we’ll be best friends again. For real this time. 

No more pathetic pining.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244205989-finding-home

********

My Review: 4/5 Stars

Easton and Maddy have been best friends since they were kids. They are inseparable. But growing up is hard. Especially when Maddy realized that he was in love with his best friend and is positive that Easton will never feel the same back. They move through college with Maddy hiding this and watching Easton never realize. Then when Easton is drafted to play baseball, Maddy makes a deal with himself. The distance is excuse to separate. He’ll get over his feelings. He has to. But cutting off Easton is breaking his heart in a whole other way. And turns out, it is destroying Easton as well. Easton has realized long ago that he doesn’t feel things the same way as others but he sure feels something awful when Maddy won’t talk to him. And it’s time to fix that. Oof, these two! Poor guys. Really torture themselves before we get the happy ending they deserve. Was glad I got to go back and see how these two found their way to one another!

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Years Book 1: Stealing Forever by Lizzie C. Koz

 

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Years Book 1

“I can’t afford to lose to Shane Michaels. When it comes to baseball or restraint.”

SHANE

This bro got invited to play with the big boys for Spring Training. Hell to the yes! I am so going to show the Jetties they need me on their Triple-A roster this year. Manifest.

Except the Jed Stone Jr. is back. Legend’s son. Permanent scowl. Stands in my way like a wall I’m supposed to climb.

One I really, really want to climb.

He may have stolen my position, but I refuse to be left behind. Not again. The problem? He’s hated me from the start. And I kinda want to prove him wrong. Now that it’s affecting our game, I have to. If I don’t, we both lose.

Call me crazy…but I have a plan I know I shouldn’t.

Time to climb some walls.

JED

I was moments from The Show when my arm blew out. 

But I’m back. And this is my year. Quick stint in Triple-A, then I’m getting the call-up. Simple. Controlled. Focused.

Nothing is stopping me. Especially not perpetually smiling, cocky golden boys who think life is a walk in the park.

Shane Michaels is talented. The bane of my existence. And god-damned beautiful.

I shouldn’t want him. I definitely shouldn’t touch him.

Considering he’s straight, that shouldn’t be difficult—until I find out he isn’t.

If I lose control, I lose baseball. And baseball is all I have left.

But Shane might be the one thing I can’t control.

Stealing Forever is a spicy rival teammates-to-lovers MM baseball romance with a grumpy star and his sunshine rival, a soft dom/brat dynamic, superstition-fueled steamy time, found family, emotional hurt/comfort, and one bed that changes everything.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247599570-stealing-forever

********

My Review: 4/5 Stars

Shane is the embodiment of sunshine. Despite all the hardships he dealt with growing up, he does his best to maintain his happiness and outgoing personality. And an invite to Spring Training with his best friends is a dream come true. Time to prove himself. But it isn’t easy. Not when he shares the same position as legendary Jed Stone Jr. Standing there in his grumpiness. But that’s okay, because Shane will win him over…eventually. Jed had a great childhood growing up with just his dad. His best friend. The dream was playing together one day on the field. But that dream disappeared when Jed’s dad died in a car accident. Since then, Jed hasn’t had much reason to smile. He lost himself for a bit but when an injury really threatened his career, he did everything to get back on track. To keep control. He still worries about his arm, especially with the way he has been playing, but this is the year to prove himself. But then Shane walks in. And Jed knows he has to step up. He just never imagined that when they are forced to work together that it would lead to so much more. He never imagined that he would be…happy again. I loved these two! A great sunshine meets grump. These two have been through a lot in their lives and it’s so sweet for them to find one another and connect in so many unexpected ways. They were so good for one another. Balancing one another out and being there when things got really hard. I really loved getting to know them and watching them fall hard for one another. Looks like a great cast of characters and I can’t wait for more!

Hit and Run Book 1: Switch-Hitter by EM Lindsey

 

Hit and Run Book 1

Get a personal chef, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.

And then Thierry shows up and Pietro realizes his mistake. Because he knows Thierry. A little too well.

Thierry is the man who told his ex to leave him.

Thierry is the man who punched Pietro and ran.

Thierry... is his ex-boyfriend’s best friend.

But Pietro also knows the man needs a job. An injury destroyed his former career and Pietro is nothing if not a bleeding heart. Besides, he doesn’t have time to search for a new chef, not with the World Series looming and his team ready to go all the way.

Life gets more complicated, though, when he and Thierry cross a line one night after a lot of wine and several bad jokes. And while hooking up is one thing, Pietro knows the last thing in the world he needs is for his heart to get involved.

Too bad it tends to make decisions without him.

Switch-Hitter is the first book in a fictional MLB series featuring a lonely baseball player with a chip on his shoulder and hope in his heart, a team ready to win no matter what it takes, a grumpy French chef who will defend escargot to the death, and a few bottles of dry red wine leading to the sweetest happily ever after. Each book in the Hit and Run Series stands alone, contains no cheating, and has a happily ever after.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60279989-switch-hitter

********

My Review: 3.5/5 Stars

Pietro is in desperate need of a personal chef. His career as a professional baseball player keeps him very busy and add in his ADHD, cooking just has never truly worked for him. So he puts in a desperate request and finally gets a reply. He just never expected the man to show up at his door to be his ex’s best friend. The same guy who punched him in the face after said ex told him to do for a lie to make the ex feel better about himself. Talk about awkward. Thierry’s life as a bodyguard is finished when he gets hurt badly on the job. His life will never be the same and because of that, he at least gets a chance to make a go at a profession he actually wanted. A chef. But it isn’t easy when your body can’t always corporate with you. And when he gets an interview and finds out it is for Pietro, he can’t believe it. Especially when Pietro wants to hire him. It may start off rocky between them, but it also gives them a chance to actually get to know one another without the toxicity of their mutual acquaintance. And in doing so, it may be the best thing for them. A pretty good story overall. I enjoyed getting to know Pietro and Thierry as they fell for one another. 

Closing Time by Maia Kinley

 

Eli Preston and Xaden Pierce have been working together for a year and still haven’t figured out how to get along. 

Eli, a financially struggling Computer Science scholar, has always been unimpressed by Xaden—the happy-go-lucky and flirty football scholar who seems to have everything. Working together is a nightmare, considering they argue every waking second What makes it even more difficult is the fact that Eli’s not actually unimpressed, and that he’s been crushing on Xaden since the day they met.

Xaden has never quite understood why Eli wants nothing to do with him. He’s always thought they could have a wonderful friendship—and more than that, if given the chance. 

Closing Time is an MM Contemporary Romance Novella between two part-time baristas who are complete opposites and completely into each other.

Note: This novella is available as a free download via the author's newsletter. Subscribe through the author's website.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214668350-closing-time

********

My Review: 4/5 Stars

Eli and Xaden have been working together at the coffee shop for a year now, and they still can’t get along. Eli gets annoyed with how late Xaden is, where he leaves his bag that Eli tends to trip on, and the fact that Xaden flirts with everyone. So okay, maybe truthfully Eli has a crush but he is trying super hard not to. But when their boss tells them they need to sort it out, she forces them to close the shop down and do some inventory and figure out a way to get along. And in doing so, it may just finally give them the chance to actually say what’s on their minds. Because it looks like Eli isn’t the whole one who has some feelings. This was a cute, fun short novella! Eli and Xaden’s banter was fun and I love that they finally got out of their own way and did something with the spark that was clearly between them. A fun story for sure!

Camrose U Book 2: Off the Boards by Maia Kinley

 

Camrose U Book 2

I’m obsessed with the prettiest, smartest guy on campus—and he’s never even looked my way.

Killian

It’s my last season playing college hockey, and I’m determined to help get the team all the way to championships this year. Unfortunately, whether I actually get to be on the ice depends on how well I do in statistics. I need a tutor, and the one person my professor swears can help me refuses to even give me the time of day.

I’ve been into Maddox since the first time I saw him, but he’s not into jocks—and he doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. When I finally ask if he’ll tutor me, he shuts me down immediately.

But I’m not one to give up. This might be my last chance to get close to him, and I can’t let that slip away.

Maddox

I don’t do jocks. I don’t befriend them, date them, or tutor them. Not after… everything.

But when Killian, one of the Camrose Rams’ star players, barges into my life, avoiding him becomes impossible. He’s loud, charming, and way too persistent—and he looks at me as if I hung the moon. Somehow, I end up getting roped into tutoring him. And letting him into parts of my life I’ve kept off-limits.

As much as I try to keep my distance, it’s impossible. He’s everything I swore to stay away from, and exactly what I can’t seem to resist.

Off the Boards is an M/M nerd/jock romance, perfect for readers who like study sessions brimming with tension, flirty and overprotective hockey players, and a tutor who’s very close to breaking his no-jocks rule.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233593688-off-the-boards

*********

My Review: 4/5. Stars

Killian has been obsessed with Maddox since he first saw him. He’s gorgeous and smart but has yet to look Killian’s way. And though Killian pesters his teammate, Caleb, to introduce him to Maddox, since they are best friends, Caleb won’t do it. But when Killian is having trouble in his stats class and Maddox is the TA, he jumps at the chance to be tutored by him. But convincing Maddox is a challenge. And just when he loses hope of passing and getting to know Maddox, Maddox agrees. Bit by bit Maddox coaxes Maddox to get to know one another. But can he convince him to give them a chance to date? Maddox doesn’t date jocks. Not after high school where he was bullied and it only stopped because his best friend got involved. Either way, he’ll stay far away. But staying away from Killian is impossible. How can Maddox stay strong when Killian is sweet and kind and charming and just always so understanding? Maddox’s walls are only so thick. And it’s only a matter of time until they come crumbling down. These two were a lot of fun. I was excited to see how Killian was gone win over Maddox. And I loved that even though they were so different, they fit very well together. They cared for one another a lot and it really showed the longer they spent time together. A great story all around and I can’t wait for the next one!